A fitting recognition for a modern foundational leader

Loma Linda University Health has had its fair share of stalwart leaders, some made famous by the crises they confronted, others by the times in which they led. It often takes the clarifying lens of history to truly appreciate the epochal role they played. David B. Hinshaw, Sr., MD, was one of those whose imprint on Loma Linda University Health continues to be magnified as the years pass. 

It was during his first term as Dean of the School of Medicine that he faced perhaps his biggest challenge. Loma Linda University had received an ultimatum from the Council on Medical Education to consolidate the campuses, either in Los Angeles or Loma Linda. With the Board of Trustees struggling to make a firm decision, Hinshaw was named Dean in 1962 and commissioned to “make it happen.” With resistance from the clinical faculty living in Los Angeles, he pushed ahead with a resolve and determination that was frustrating to many and inspiring to others. In 1967, that new facility, renamed the Loma Linda University Medical Center, was opened. Within months the patient demand had compelled the finishing of all nine floors, and Loma Linda University had entered the modern age. A parallel plan to grow a new generation of clinical specialists also bore fruit — many came back to campus to begin this new era of the organization’s historical journey.

Hinshaw’s style of determined leadership, occasionally without broad consultation or support, brought detractors, and he left the institution in 1975. He was invited back in 1986 by President Norman Woods to serve as Vice President for Medical Affairs and then President of the Medical Center in 1988. It was during this time that another series of decisions were made that have equally impacted Loma Linda University Health. Together with John Mace and Lyn Behrens, he greatly expanded our children’s services in the Inland Empire with growth of the Department of Pediatrics and construction of a Children’s Hospital. He supported the dream of James Slater to develop the world’s first hospital-based proton treatment center on our campus. He saw the potential in purchasing the failed Charter Hospital near Redlands and converted it into our Behavioral Medicine Center, enabling psychiatry services to move out of a 12-room ward in the hospital to its own 89-bed site. He started the conversion of the old Community Hospital into a major rehabilitation center we now call the East Campus. During these explosive years, he also nurtured Leonard Bailey’s pioneering work on infant heart transplantation, which greatly enhanced our global reputation. 

It was during those critical 32 years, from 1962 to 1994, that Loma Linda University Health truly came of age as an academic health science center. We became a national leader in infant heart transplants, proton therapy, premier care of children, rehabilitation services, and psychiatric care. This enabled the rest of the campus to gain confidence and grow our research enterprise, including the Adventist Health Study. We then established the Schools of Public Health and Allied Health Professions and built a base for continued growth in both our student enrollment and clinical services.

To recognize Dr. David Hinshaw’s impact, administration has recommended, and the Board of Trustees has approved, naming the 1967 legacy cloverleaf hospital as the David B. Hinshaw, Sr. Towers. This is a fitting tribute to a man who guided the transition of Loma Linda University Health from a small clinical school in a rural area (known as “the farm”) to an internationally valued icon. Dr. Hinshaw’s death in 2019 at the age of 95 closed a chapter in our organization’s history. This recognition honors his legacy here — the foundation he built on this campus for generations to come. 

Sincerely,

Richard H. Hart, MD, DrPH
President
Loma Linda University Health